‘Today was our day’ – Churchill Brothers coach Mariano Dias

By Ayush Srivastava

The Churchill Brothers coach was delighted with the display of his players, though he pointed out that much remains to be done, in order to qualify for the next stage...

Having seen his team stroll past a toothless and disorganized Warriors FC side in an AFC Cup tie with a 3-0 win, Mariano Dias was predictably beaming ear-to-ear, when he attended the post-match conference, shortly after full-time.

The Goan refused to take any plaudits for the win, and felt it was the hardwork of his players that had reaped a dividend. He stated, “The boys played well and the credit goes to them. They played very good football and I am very happy (for them).”

The Churchill Brothers’ coach also felt that more than anything that the Warriors were lacking, the Singaporean side had the misfortune of coming up against the Red Machines, on a day when they were on song. He commented, “Well today was our day, and results really depends on that day’s performance. Possibly the heat might have affected them.”

Speaking on his side’s hopes of making the next stage, Dias felt they had a decent chance of making it through. He opined, “We have played three, drawing, losing and winning one game each. Kitchee have 6 points and Semen Padang have seven. So let’s see what happens.”

What was particularly shocking about the result was, that Churchill Brothers were missing seven of their regular starters, thanks to injuries and suspension. However the players that came in, did a great job for the side, with Jaison Vales impressing in particular, while Balal Arezou and Sunil Chhetri showed promise as a striking pair upfront.

The Red Machines’ coach though, was hopeful of having all his stars back soon in the team, and complimented the two strikers for their link-up play. He said, “Hopefully the players who were injured will return soon.”

“Chhetri has performed well but I feel he is still at 80% of his best levels. I thought him and Arezou, both played well,” he concluded.

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